Conacul Mantescu, Noble Manor in rural Carpathia

This is the place of once upon a time. A wonderfully restored century old noble house that once belonged to the village teacher is now standing proud overlooking stunning Carpathian Mountain scenery in a tiny hamlet with just few houses. It sits in a magical setting as if time stopped here long ago, in the pastoral days. The architecture is that of a house as built by the ancient Dacian people over 1500 years ago, telling a story about how people lived in these places back then. The space Conacul Mantescu is unique in this part of Romania as it 's the only authentically restored traditional Romanian house, a labour of love of my ancestors who built it in 1916 using materials and architectural principles kept for generations going all the way back to the ancient people of Dacia. The property has immense historical, cultural and architectural value (the Neo-Romanesc style - unique to this part of the world), as well as being located in one of the last surviving unspoilt natural landscapes with one of the most diverse flora and fauna in Europe. There is a tremendous number of hiking opportunities as well as day trips you can take to incredible landmarks, the nearest one being a pyramid shaped stone in the 1 acre back garden. The land itself is bordered by a majestic mountain wall that hides an ancient man made cave called the Stone Door, and offers 360 degrees panorama of the whole area. Quaint, peaceful, delightful setting for the traveller who is adventurous enough to get here and eager enough to unplug from modern times and relive the past, however not lacking modern day facilities. The interior is warm, cosy, charming, with all items you could possibly need for a relaxing holiday (full kitchen, extra linens, even books and family games). Guest access Full access to all common areas - kitchen facilities, shower room upstairs, downstairs toilet, upstairs porch, shared landing, outdoor and indoor staircase, living/dining room. All facilities in these areas can be used. For fire safety reasons, we strongly recommend that you contact us to help with making the fire for you. The housekeeper is very quick to assist with this. There are cast iron plates on each fire, please do not attempt to cook or heat anything up on these to avoid fire risks. There is an induction cooker in the kitchen to use for cooking meals at the house. This has full instructions booklet in English. The local shop is within walking distance and it sells most groceries, diary, we can even order fresh eggs for you from the locals on request. Also on request we may be able to arrange meals to be cooked for you by our housekeeper, again on prior request only. Regardless please ensure you bring food provisions as a walk to the local shop would take around 20 minutes each way. There will be a backup supply of drinking water bottles in the kitchen but please be aware that you have to buy extra water bottles for your stay as the water in the property is not suitable for drinking. Alternatively you can fill up bottles at the local spring at the entrance into the village. That is free and we use it for drinking too. We do not guarantee the safety of the water from the village well though. Access to locked cabinets is only for the housekeeper/host.We appreciate your understanding. Other things to note There is a local rustic RESTAURANT only 2 miles (3km) away - which serves a rare breed of pork (mangalita) as the house speciality and amazingly tasty dishes from locally produced food and from their own farm. We fully recommend it. All details can be provided on request. Mobile phone signal is available at the venue, however the quality of it may vary slightly. The downstairs floor has very thick stone walls which may influence the signal. Signal is always guaranteed on the upper floor. It is recommended that you have a mobile phone with you and charged battery at all times (with roaming service if travelling from outside Romania) as the local housekeeper doesn't speak English. Please note also that packing essentials would include: hiking boots, layers of clothing for all weather and generally anything that you would pack for a mountain holiday can be useful. Local guides booklets/ cards and maps with local attractions and other useful local info will be available in the property, but we are always happy to provide these before your travel on request.